The best years of our lives
by ladymacbetterthanyou
Summary: ATLA HS AU / A story about Zutara falling in love. Mai - lee realizing their love as well as sexuality. And Tang growing up together and realizing their lifelong friendship may mean more. Also a friendship i rarely see explored in zutara ships tho that will be a surprise. sorry im not good at summaries. M for language. (smutty teenagers is just wrong)


The sun blistered across the sidewalk of the community pool. The pool water was boiling, cooking the mess of people splashing around like screaming lobsters. Katara sat at the edge, slicking her brown legs in and out of the unusually warm water. She danced her fingers along her cerulean bikini bottoms, leaning over just a bit so her long brown hair touched the tip of the water.

"C'mon Katara get in!" Her brother shouted at her from the steps.

"Sokka…you're right next to me you don't have to yell."

"Katara! You love water. You love swimming!"

"Yeah when it's clean and not sizzling. This is not normal water. I swear we could clean an entire bathroom with this water."

"Katara! Summer is over in two weeks and you've done nothing fun. Don't you wanna do something fun!? High school is not as breezy as middle school."

"Yeah especially for her." She heard a soft, yet stern voice call from behind her. "Little miss gifted program."

She looked over at the woman a little paler than she and her brother. Her short hairstyle slicked back from all the water – emerald green bathing suit accentuating the best parts of her.

"Oh Suki…you're too kind." Katara responded sarcastically.

"Your brother is right you know."

"You have to say that, you're his girlfriend."

"He is though. It's your first year of high school and you're in the gifted program. It's really hard. I couldn't hack it as a freshmen."

"Well I'm not you Suki." Katara snapped. "I'm not a little kid, ok I just turned 14 and I…I'm ready – why are we talking about this shouldn't we be relaxing?"

She didn't notice the exchanged glances between the other two nor did she care. She ignored her own feelings of immediate remorse for her slight, irritated outburst.

"Sorry Katara…didn't mean to upset you." Suki desponded. She slipped into the pool and swam to the other side with Sokka. Katara rolled her eyes at the both of them. She felt that it could have been at least a little less obvious that they were going to basically talk certainly unkind things about her.

"Mask it as worry…" She murmured to herself.

She kicked her feet in the water like a small child. Katara was extremely scared of high school. In middle school she was a big fish in a small pond. Smarter than everyone and after Sokka left she was more than just 'kid Katara'. She was ahead of everyone, her own person, debate club, cheerleading, mathletes, and science Olympics. She did more than anyone and excelled in it. High School would be different and she knew this. She knew that there were many different people exactly like her at high school. These were the years that mattered most, the years that were going to shape her for college. And there was a thousand and one different people exactly like her.

There were people in the gifted program with her – the competition would be fierce and Katara wasn't sure she was ready for that. Plus being related to the big jock on campus would put her back in her brother's shadow.

Oh and his beautiful girlfriend that happened to be amazing at all things and live in their home.

Katara was terrified and she was too afraid to admit.

"How the hell am I Supposed to relax?!" She muttered to herself in exasperation.

Another wave of water tossed over her, and while it was supposed to be refreshing it just irritated her. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted and she was soaked in gross pool water.

"Seriously!" She shouted.

A boy – someone she would call cute but, not to his face – popped up from the water. He had a pretty gnarly scar on his eye but, it added to the appeal she supposed. His hair was black, medium length, draping over his face. He was pale, fit, and smirking at her.

In that moment, brief moment, she felt a small flutter from that tiny little smirk. IT was grossly arrogant and it should have irritated her but, for a moment it made her feel something.

That moment was soon over though as she realized he was the one that splashed her and that smirk was an open mock.

"Hey! People are sitting here. You don't need to be rude!"

He continued to smirk at her though. It wasn't as charming as it was seconds earlier. She watched his eyes and how they moved up and down her body. She clasped her arms over her chest, glaring at him with intense ferocity.

He moved closer to her, pulling himself up over the side of the pool and out.

"Your bathing suit matches your eyes. It's nice." He spoke quite raspy. He then removed himself completely and strutted off.

She was stunned. Simply and utterly stunned.

Sokka swam back over to her, waving his hand in front of her face. Katara was clearly aware of this as she wasn't an idiot but, she didn't care. She was distracted and stunned.

"Katara?" She heard her brother calling yet she ignored. All she was trying to do was make sense of the situation around her. The situation that just happened.

"Well…" He spoke again and then splashed a wave of water against her.

That got her attention.

"WHAT SOKKA!"

"That guy… did he – what did he say?" He questioned more sternly than she would have liked.

"He said he liked me eyes…" She said as she rolled them.

"Don't talk to him." Suki added. "He's bad news Katara."

"I mean I wasn't planning on it." She responded almost laughing. "He said I had nice eyes and walked away. I'm not tryna marry him. I literally just met him. Probably never see him again."

The two exchanged worried glances at each other than back to her.

"Okay Katara." Sokka said softly. "Let's uhm…let's just go home."

She looked at him curiously but, decided not to question it. This wasn't a pool, this wasn't clean or good water. This was dirty water that she couldn't fathom stepping in. Not like the pool at her old house. Not like the beaches she grew up on. There was no reason to stay and she was damn glad they were going home. Even if it was because of some weird overprotective thing.

She didn't say a thing to anyone though. She stood up, grabbed her towel, and power strode to the gate. Her arm bumped that scarred boy from the pool earlier though she didn't pay much attention to it. She muttered a small sorry. And continued to look forward.

This was supposed to be her last big thing to do during summer.

It was a bust.


End file.
